Time goes back to just a short while ago, starting from when Xiaoxi first sensed something wrong over the Phone.
At that moment, Xiaoxi had just finished a round of gaming with Ye Xinglan, but as soon as they entered the game, Ye Xinglan noticed Xiaoxi’s character standing motionless at the spawn point.
“Sorry, babe, The Association has an urgent matter. I need to head out right now.”
Xiaoxi pushed open Ye Xinglan’s bedroom door.
After a quick explanation, she hurried out, feeling sorry for the Rich Girl, but Xiaoxi knew that if she was late, Miss L could very well be in danger.
So, what started as a 5v5 game instantly became 4v5.
Unaware of the situation, Jie Tianxin kept frantically calling out to Ye Xinglan over the mic.
“Xinglan, Xinglan, why isn’t Xiaoxi moving? I’m the only one watching site B right now.”
“She said she had work and just left. Running outside this late at night… Sorry, Tianxin, we’re one short for this round.”
“Ai, it’s fine. Isn’t Xiaoxi a Magic Girl? It’s normal for emergencies to come up. We can win four against five; I’m Empowerment Sis, just watch me carry!”
At first, no one thought much of this little incident. But less than ten minutes later, Ye Xinglan suddenly heard a knocking sound outside.
“Hold on, sounds like Xiaoxi forgot her key. I’ll go open the door for her.”
After the soft patter of slippers, Ye Xinglan opened the door: “Why are you back so soon? Did you forget something—”
Ye Xinglan’s words trailed off abruptly—for the corridor outside was shrouded in darkness, even the sensor lights weren’t on, let alone a single person in sight.
“That’s odd, did I mishear?”
Ye Xinglan scratched her head and hurried back to continue gaming, but just as she reached the half-open bedroom door, she suddenly sniffed the air and frowned.
She pushed the door open sharply, but found nothing wrong inside the room—except that the previously closed window was now open for some reason.
Ye Xinglan retracted her two tentacles, cautiously approaching the window. There, she spotted a crumpled Note.
After reading its contents, her pupils contracted instantly.
“Your girlfriend is in my hands. If you don’t want her to get hurt, come meet me alone in the suburbs of Summersea City within thirty minutes.”
That short sentence nearly made Ye Xinglan lose control. She climbed out the window on the spot.
Under the night sky, the residential area was peaceful and calm, with no sign of anything unusual.
Impossible… Didn’t Xiaoxi leave after receiving The Association’s Order? How could she be kidnapped for no reason?
Ye Xinglan called Xiaoxi over and over, but at that time, Xiaoxi was still eavesdropping on Miss L’s situation through the Phone—how could Ye Xinglan possibly get through?
Listening to the cold message from the receiver—“The number you have dialed is currently on another call”—
Ye Xinglan bit her lower lip in anxiety and sent a string of messages to Xiaoxi, but got no response. She even saw Xiaoxi’s Avatar briefly go gray.
Phone out of service? There might really be no signal in the suburbs… Could Xiaoxi have really been kidnapped out there?
Countless possibilities flashed through Ye Xinglan’s mind in an instant. She could no longer think rationally at this point.
No… No matter what, she couldn’t risk Xiaoxi’s life on a possibility like this!
Gritting her teeth, Ye Xinglan sank into the black mire, leaving the room empty, with only Jie Tianxin’s desperate voice echoing through the Headphones.
“Hey, hey? Xinglan, where did you go? No way! Three versus five is seriously too much pressure!”
Not long after, in the outskirts of Summersea City, inside an abandoned Sewer.
Ye Xinglan followed the instructions on The Note and arrived here. This place was really out of the way, nearly at the base of Summersea City’s outer wall.
Inside the abandoned Sewer, it was cold and damp, with moss and dirty puddles everywhere.
The smell in the air was self-explanatory.
Ye Xinglan frowned, carefully discerning her direction as she moved forward.
She didn’t immediately transform into the Blood Moon Witch to scout ahead—deep down, she still held on to a sliver of hope.
Maybe the kidnapper didn’t know she was the Blood Moon Witch, and Xiaoxi was taken for another reason. Of course, that was a faint possibility.
Xiaoxi was captured because she was the Blood Moon Witch’s girlfriend… Ye Xinglan bit her lip in guilt.
Now wasn’t the time to worry about Xiaoxi finding out her real identity.
Even if Xiaoxi couldn’t accept it and wanted to break up, she couldn’t let Xiaoxi get hurt because of her!
The abandoned Sewer’s structure was tangled and complex.
After transforming, Ye Xinglan simply extended several tentacles to scout ahead—and quickly found results.
After weaving through twists and turns, Ye Xinglan reached the end of a branching path.
This seemed to have been The Outflow Outlet.
At the end of the passage were Xiaoxi, tied up, and The Black Robed Man.
“Xiaoxi! Are you okay?”
“Xinglan, help me!”
Ye Xinglan’s eyes lit up, and she was about to rush forward when The Black Robed Man spoke coldly.
The passage was long. Standing at the corner, Ye Xinglan could barely make out a glint of cold steel pressed against Xiaoxi’s neck. She couldn’t see clearly, but didn’t dare make a move.
“You… I don’t care who you are, just let Xiaoxi go and I’ll agree to any conditions you want!”
A few seconds of silence passed in the chilly passage before The Black Robed Man let out a cold laugh.
“As expected of the Blood Moon Witch, your reputation is well deserved.”
Although it was a random remark, it confirmed for Ye Xinglan that the other party had come specifically for her—the Blood Moon Witch… So the day had come after all? Ye Xinglan closed her eyes in bitterness.
She’d considered how to confess her identity to Xiaoxi, but no matter how she imagined it, it never felt right.
Now that her secret had been ripped open so suddenly, Ye Xinglan regretted not telling Xiaoxi sooner.
Even if Xiaoxi broke up with her… at least it would have prevented something like today’s kidnapping, wouldn’t it?
“Listen, you can state your demands now. Anything is fine—as long as you release Xiaoxi, I’ll agree to it right away.”
Ye Xinglan, desperate to protect her love, instinctively took two steps forward, only for The Black Robed Man to speak again with icy menace.
“Stay right there, or don’t blame me for killing her now.”
“Okay, okay, I’m not moving. Is that good enough?”
Ye Xinglan raised her hands high. This bastard was certainly cautious, not letting her get close at all. Still… she didn’t need to be near to make a move!
A tentacle shot out from behind The Black Robed Man, snapping toward his weapon—but it passed straight through his arm, without hitting anything.
Ye Xinglan froze. Then, The Black Robed Man coldly chuckled again, “As expected of the Blood Moon Witch, your reputation is well deserved.”
In that instant, Ye Xinglan realized what was happening.
She dashed forward and grabbed—her hand passed right through Xiaoxi and The Black Robed Man.
Their figures dispersed like bubbles under sunlight.
Damn it, it was nothing more than The Illusion—she’d been lured into a trap!
Rage surged in Ye Xinglan’s chest. No wonder the illusion kept repeating, “Don’t come any closer.”
It was all to prevent her from noticing the deception! Plus, with the Sewer shrouded in darkness and her desperation to protect her love, she hadn’t caught on to the trick.
But, upon calming down and thinking it over, Ye Xinglan realized something wasn’t right.
The enemy wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble just to play a pointless prank with The Illusion, right?
And the fact that they knew her Blood Moon Witch identity… what was this mysterious person’s true goal?
“…Over here… the Blood Moon Witch’s aura…”
Ye Xinglan froze on the spot. The Sewer was eerily quiet, and the pipes amplified sounds.
If she hadn’t misheard… that almost inaudible voice should be Eternal Star Senior’s!
Now Ye Xinglan understood the real purpose—she’d been tricked into coming here as bait!
Although Ye Xinglan longed to take revenge on Eternal Star, this was definitely not the right time.
Moreover, the mysterious person who lured her here probably wanted her and Eternal Star Senior to kill each other.
She absolutely could not get caught here by Eternal Star Senior… Gritting her teeth, Ye Xinglan hurried to escape, not noticing the small patch of shimmering, scale-like powder near The Outflow Outlet.
If Xiaoxi were here, she might have recognized it.
This Scales closely resembled what was found on Shandie’s Butterfly Wing.
Last time at the restaurant Bathroom, when Shandie tried to use The Illusion on a Magic Creature, similar scales floated in the air.